USAA flagged in NFL controversy

The Dallas Cowboys take a knee prior to the national anthem on Monday night when they faced the Arizona Cardinals in Glendale, Arizona. The team later stood on the sideline for the anthem.

The Dallas Cowboys take a knee prior to the national anthem on Monday night when they faced the Arizona Cardinals in Glendale, Arizona. The team later stood on the sideline for the anthem.

Photo: Matt York /Associated Press

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Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receivers Mike Evans, #13, and DeSean Jackson, #11, take a knee during the national anthem before the game against the Minnesota Vikings last Sunday. Some people have gone on social media urging a boycott of NFL sponsors, including San Antonio banking, insurance and financial services company USAA. less

Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receivers Mike Evans, #13, and DeSean Jackson, #11, take a knee during the national anthem before the game against the Minnesota Vikings last Sunday. Some people have gone on social ... more

Photo: Hannah Foslien /Getty Images

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Tampa Bay Buccaneers players link arms on the sidelines during the national anthem before the game against the Minnesota Vikings last Sunday.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers players link arms on the sidelines during the national anthem before the game against the Minnesota Vikings last Sunday.

Photo: Hannah Foslien /Getty Images

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Alejandro Villanueva of the Pittsburgh Steelers stands by himself in the tunnel for the national anthem prior to the game against the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field last Sunday.

Alejandro Villanueva of the Pittsburgh Steelers stands by himself in the tunnel for the national anthem prior to the game against the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field last Sunday.

Photo: Joe Robbins /Getty Images

USAA flagged in NFL controversy

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USAA usually avoids controversy. But the San Antonio banking, insurance and financial services company finds itself caught in a political minefield for the second time in four months.

First, the company created a furor in May over its decision to pull commercials from conservative talk show host Sean Hannity’s Fox television program.

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Now, USAA’s getting jeered over its sponsorship of the NFL in the wake of some players kneeling during the national anthem before Sunday’s games. Some of those upset by the players’ actions have taken to social media in hopes of pressuring USAA to end its ties with the league.

To be sure, other league sponsors — from Anheuser-Busch to Papa John’s to McDonald’s — are feeling the same pain on social media as USAA.

Yet USAA might be in tougher spot than other companies simply because its customers are current and former members of the military, where it’s a ritual to salute the flag during the anthem.

USAA has no affiliation with the armed forces, but it’s a company that was started 95 years ago by a group of 25 Army officers who had trouble keeping insurance because of their profession. Membership in USAA has expanded over the years and is now open to virtually all current and former military members. The company appeals to potential customers with the advertising slogan, “We know what it means to serve.”

The decision by more than 200 NFL players not to stand for the anthem the weekend after President Donald Trump assailed players for silently protesting racial inequality by #takingaknee is seen by some USAA members as anti-American and resulted in an online revolt on Facebook, Twitter and other online forums.

“Stop funding the NFL’s disrespect for our country, military and veterans!” a person with the handle “Diver0129” commented on USAA’s online community forum.

“USAA should NOT support the unpatriotic NFL,” “Hannah’s mom” posted on the forum. “It is an insult to use the members’ money in such a disgraceful way.”

Roger Wildermuth, a USAA spokesman, declined to address the controversy in a statement.

“USAA remains focused on providing our members with the service they expect and deserve, including those in the path of Hurricanes Harvey, Irma and Maria,” he said in an email. “By all accounts, we are delivering on our mission to help members achieve financial security and serve more military, veterans and their families than ever before.”

Gerard Braud, a New Orleans-based crisis communications specialist, called the controversy a “smoldering crisis” for USAA.

USAA is in “a very precarious position because those who perceive (the protests) as an insult to the men and women who serve view it as USAA being disrespectful to essentially what is their client base,” he said. “There is not an easy solution for this company in this situation. There’s absolutely nothing they can do or say that would receive 100 percent approval.”

USAA remains steadfast in maintaining ties to the league. The company sponsors the “Salute to Service” campaign with the NFL, which encourages appreciation for the military.

“At USAA, we strongly believe it is an honor to stand during the national anthem,” the post states. “Our purpose in becoming a league sponsor was to honor and appreciate the military community, and that will continue to be our focus.”

USAA also heavily advertises on television during NFL games. In an undated message from USAA to its members that was making the rounds on social media this week, it said, “Advertising during NFL games allows USAA to reach a broad military audience, including those who are currently serving. Research indicates that 78 percent of active-duty military are NFL fans, with 36 percent naming (the) NFL as their favorite sport.

“We are more successful in our advertising when we target programs our members watch,” USAA added.

By comparison, USAA flip-flopped after a firestorm erupted when it yanked its ads from Hannity’s show. “Advertising on opinion shows is not in accordance with our policy,” the company said in response to a comment on Twitter.

Less than a week later, USAA bowed to pressure from its customer base and others and reinstated the ads on Hannity’s show, as well as other opinion news programs.

“We heard the concerns from many members who watch and listen to these programs,” USAA said in a statement at the time. The company added that it would review its policy about advertising on opinion shows “to determine how best to apply it in today’s environment and in line with our mission.” There has been no update since that statement.

The anthem protests started last year with former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick, who knelt to call attention to racial injustice and police brutality. A handful of other players followed.

On Sept. 22, during a speech in Huntsville, Alabama, Trump told the crowd that it would be great if an NFL owner fired a “son of a bitch” player for refusing to stand during “The Star-Spangled Banner.”

Players revolted against Trump’s remarks by kneeling or standing with linked arms to signify solidarity with each other during the anthem. Among them was Clinton McDonald, a defensive tackle for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers who is currently featured in one of USAA’s television ads. He was raised in a military household.

Another player who appeared in a TV spot for USAA last year, Alejandro Villanueva, an offensive tackle for the Pittsburgh Steelers and a former Army Ranger who served three tours in Afghanistan, reluctantly found himself in the spotlight.

Steelers players planned to remain in the locker room during the anthem before their game with the Chicago Bears, according to ESPN and other media. A photograph, however, captured Villanueva standing by himself in a tunnel by the field with his right hand over his heart during the anthem. He later explained that the image gave the wrong impression that his teammates were not behind him.

No players knelt during Thursday night’s contest between the Bears and the Packers, though they did stand arm in arm, according to news reports.

Richard Levick, a crisis communications expert, said in an interview with Bloomberg that the NFL deftly navigated last weekend’s challenges but expected no shortage of hazards ahead.

“They showed a high level of unity and independence, respecting those who participated in the protests and those who didn’t,” Levick said. “In this era of hyper politicization — which is being driven by the White House into everything from the Boy Scouts to the NFL — there is no safe middle of the road.”

It’s too soon to know whether the boycott calls are affecting USAA’s membership ranks. It had about 12.2 million members as of June, the most recent figure available. That’s up from 11.9 million at the end of last year — a growth rate of 5 percent on an annualized basis, which would be in line with last year’s growth.

USAA doubled its membership over the past decade. But CEO Stuart Parker said during a speech last year that his focus isn’t on how fast USAA grows but on ensuring that it experiences “quality growth.”

“It’s not how many customers you have; it’s the quality of the relationship that you have with those customers,” he said.